"I Knew I Was Worth More": Black and Latinx Students' Resilient Border-Crossings

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Diverse and Critical Perspectives in Physical Education (Table 8)

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to understand Black and Latinx pre-service PE teachers’ resilience as they navigated “borderlands” within their predominantly white PETE programs. Methods: This study used visual narrative inquiry. Results: Whiteness established borders for participants to “cross over,” positioning participants as an “other.” In spite of this marginalization, participants embodied resistance, critiquing white norms and aiming to make change as they pursued their dreams of teaching. Discussion: The Black and Latinx participants’ border-crossing in their PETE programs furthers their ability to be culturally relevant PE teachers. This study also highlights the dire need for white PETE faculty to actively de-construct borders of whiteness established at predominantly white institutions and celebrate the resilience of students of color in “crossing over.”

Authors

• Mara Simon, Springfield College

• Korey Boyd, Springfield College

• Cory E. Dixon, Rowan University